Running Ahead: TEACHER OBSERVATION

Asmaa Farooqi
Teacher Observation
Ivy Tech community College

TEACHER OBSERVATION

I had the opportunity to observe Mrs. Ramseys 2nd grade class on several occasions over
the past Eight weeks. I did my observation at Eagle Elementary in Brownsburg. 762 children
attend Eagle Elementary School and are mostly White, non-Hispanic; Multiracial; and Hispanic.
2% of the Eagle Elementary School students are limited in English proficiency (Eagle
Elementary, 2015). She has earned her bachelors degree in elementary education and earned her
masters degree in child development. Mrs. Ramsey welcomed me to work in her classroom and
said that I could definitely utilize some help and these young ones will keep you very busy.
Eagle students have consistently received high scores on standardized achievement tests.
Eagle has been recognized as a FOUR STAR SCHOOL by the Indiana Department of
Education through 2010-2011. This recognition is given annually to a school that scores
in the top 25% of all Indiana schools in each of four areas: overall students' attendance,
students' achievement test scores in language arts, students' achievement test scores in
mathematics, and students' overall achievement test scores. The mission of Eagle
Elementary School is to provide an education in a safe, pleasant, nurturing Environment.
Eagle Elementary staff, with parents and community support, continually promotes high
expectations for all students and encourages them to develop academically, emotionally,
physically, and socially. Eagle Elementary is a public school in Brownsburg, Indiana.
Brownsburg is a growing small town about seven miles west of Indianapolis. (Eagle
Elementary, 2015)
I entered the room while the students were busying completing an assignment in the
classroom and the instructions were projected on the board. Ms. Ramsey started her class with
morning greetings and announcements, took the attendance and told the students the objectives
of that day. After the assignment completion, she let me introduce myself to the class. I was

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nervous at first, but I explained to the students that I would be here to observe and follow the
task that the teacher would give me so I can earn hands-on experience. I also explained to the
students that I was observing them for my class at Ivy Tech. Mrs. Ramseys teaching philosophy
is progressivism; she started her lesson by talking to students about her objectives. Then, she
reads a short story, then she does the experiments of how to use this in real life practice. The
second graders did not have much attention span, they can only hear a teachers lecture for about
5-7 minutes and then they started to get noisy. I wanted to keep the consistency so I would show
up every Monday morning around 8:50AM. During that time, students had to do a worksheet
according to the instruction given on the board, and the Mrs. Ramey would go over it. Around
9:30AM students would do journal in which they would write about their weekend. Some of the
student would complete spelling tests from the past week. Some of the students have math lab,
writing lab and they had not have the opportunity to do their spelling test on time. Around 10
oclock she would read a book to them and students would write vocabulary words, then after the
story, she would ask students for those words and write them on the board with their definitions.
Then the students would do stations in which they had different activities and experiments. The
second graders dont always follow instructions properly. Mrs. Ramsey emphasized a lot on
reading; her students learn how to read complex sentences and phrases.
The room has several academic posters on the wall such as policy or rules of the
classroom. There were several different academic posters all over the walls for students to
increase their interest on reading, writing and classroom policy. Shelves are organized with
baskets that are overflowing with books and many other activities. During my observation, I
realized there were two students who stood out from the other students. Mrs. Ramsey would
make them sit right next to her and would ask them especially if they understood that
assignment. The two students attention spans were very short and they had to attend math,

TEACHER OBSERVATION

reading and writing labs. These two students would also stay during recess time for completing
missing assignments. Over the eight weeks of learning site, I understood being a teacher is not an
easy job; in fact it is very demanding. A teacher has to fulfill the needs of parents, principal,
administration as well as students. A teacher is consistently answering questions coming from
parent, principal and students.
The classroom is very organized with students' backpacks, books, and jackets placed on the
right side of the wall. The students have purple folders which are like a communicator between
teacher and parents. Children are responsible to bring in their folder to class every day, and take
it back and be signed by parents on daily basis. This technique allows Mrs. Ramsey easy access
with parents and let them know the daily routine. I appreciate many of the things that she does in
her classroom, for example, she treats her students with respect. She is very competent,
comfortable and her way of detecting and addressing issues in classroom. I feel that she is very
prepared before her students entering in classroom, such as pencils are already sharpened, the
stations are ready, and she put her activities in order that they will go. The students are very
responsive to her instructions and are excited for classroom activities. The atmosphere of the
classroom is fun and motivating for the students to want to learn. The students are learning
concepts, improving skills and behaving in a way that is encouraging learning experiences. Mrs.
Ramsey not only teaches math, English and other subjects, she even teaches her students to be a
good human being in the society. The last day of my observation, I decided to interview her to
acquire the knowledge of very were well behaved classroom. It was a very pleasant classroom
and well organized and I was amazed by the seven years old listening and performing their tasks.
Her lessons are very well planned and it is based on the understanding related to each childs
needs. The main objective of the lesson is for the students to understand and gain knowledge.
Mrs. Ramsey starts the lesson by showing the classroom a few examples before putting them in

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groups and practice as a group. She does a lot of group work with her students because she
believes it helps them to live as a community in their future career life. On the last day of the
observation, I decided to ask a question that hat has been in mind for a long time. I asked her;
what does she enjoys the most in teaching 2nd grade? There are many things that I really enjoy
about teaching 2nd grade. One of my personal favorites is helping students learn to LOVE to
read! I try to instill in my students a love for reading that I hope will become life-long and serve
them well no matter where their lives or careers lead them (Ramsey. K). I was amazed by her
words, therefore; I do not disagree with any of her strategies because in her class students are
very well behaved, seemed engaged in activities and seem like ready to learn each day.
I have spent twenty hours throughout this semester observing a 2nd grade teacher. I
learned that it is not as easy to be a teacher as I thought it would be. I have learned a lot about
pedagogical knowledge, and learning styles. While I was observing 2nd grade, I reflected that
she knew her students' needs, strengths, weaknesses, and interests. Then I realized that her
students were following her procedures or routines. The classroom environment seemed perfect;
the classroom climate, the teacher and classroom characteristics allow students to be challenged
and learn at a same time. While, in her class, I performed many duties such as grading, group
activities, copying, preparing activities for a next day. I enjoyed each and every activity, she
made the environment and learning at a same time. She has been teaching for twenty-seven years
and even today she is ready to accept new ideas and inventions. As I have learned, in order to be
a qualified teacher, he/she has to be creative and have the various different ways to present a
same lesson. Being able to engage and connect using interesting presentation style is important
to share information. Mrs. Ramsey does very well explaining the activity and her students are
very involved.

TEACHER OBSERVATION

Conducting a classroom observation was very helpful to me because that experience

taught me how teachers manage their classroom. Mrs. Ramseys classroom is arranged in a way
that shows teachers interaction with the students, and the teachers management style. I was glad
to see the way she actually use her classroom with a lot of patience and pride. I can see her love
and joy for teaching. She is very positive person and over the eight weeks I never experience that
she would raise her voice even once. If a student got too loud or was breaking rules she would
call the students name and tell them to write a letter of apology. She is very respectful with her
students and the students showed her the same respect.

Bibliography
Brownsburg Community School Corporation. (2015). Retrieved from
http://www.brownsburg.k12.in.us/about-eagle-elementary
Ramsey, K. Personal Interview, October 25, 2015

TEACHER OBSERVATION